Sturbridge voters back land act

A controversial ballot question that asked voters to revoke the town’s acceptance of the Community Preservation Act failed by more than 200 votes yesterday.

In an 827-597 vote, Question 4 easily failed in the annual town election. Had it passed, Sturbridge would have been the first of 147 cities and towns in the state to have adopted and then revoked the land-preserving measure, which is funded with a tax surcharge.

Penny J. Dumas, the town’s Community Preservation Committee chairman, said she appreciated the outpouring of support for the act. In February, selectmen unanimously recommended the town keep it in place. The petitioners who opposed it did so because they thought taxpayers are saddled with too much debt.

“It’s truly such a smart program for our state of Massachusetts. And to know that Sturbridge supported it and kept the act intact, it’s terrific,” Ms. Dumas said. “I’m just really, really thrilled that the people came out to vote to support the Community Preservation Act because it’s such a useful tool and in these tough economic times, it’s the most important thing that we could have done at the election.”

The Community Preservation Act (Mass. General Law, Chapter 44B) establishes a dedicated funding source to acquire and preserve land, rehabilitate and restore historic resources, and create and support community housing.

Sturbridge accepted the act in the 2001 town election, approving a surcharge of 3 percent on the annual tax levy on real property after exempting the first $100,000.

Also yesterday, Susan Waters and incumbent Michele Fitzgerald were both voted onto the Tantasqua Regional School Committee, with 830 and 808 votes respectively. Jennifer A. Harwich-Vaughan, who had 540, did not make her bid for one of the two school board seats.

On July 11, selectmen named Ms. Waters to fill a vacancy on the school committee. The vacancy was created when member Francis G. Simanski, 63, of Sturbridge died May 11 after a brief illness.

“I feel honored,” Ms. Waters said. “I respect the vote of the town of Sturbridge citizens and I look forward to serving them in an elected position for the betterment of children in Sturbridge and all the towns of the Tantasqua Regional School District.”

“This is my third election but my first campaign,” Ms. Fitzgerald said. “I’m excited. We have a new superintendent coming in, a lot of exciting things for the district in terms of curriculum and teachers’ assessment and I really wanted to be a part of that.”

In the only other race, long-standing constable Cheryl G. Economos was victorious with 648 votes. Her challengers, Alan R. Jerskey and Ronald F. Anthony, had 330 and 129 votes, respectively.

Although there was no race for selectman, Mary E. Redetzke, with 858 votes, is the new member of the board, which has four women, three of them named Mary, and one man, Thomas R. Creamer. With 963 votes, he also won his second three-year term as selectman.

In 2009, Mr. Creamer was the highest vote-getter, with 953 votes, in the race for selectman.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve the residents of Sturbridge,” Mr. Creamer said. “I feel honored and privileged in an uncontested race 963 folks actually filled the slot in for me. I’m thrilled.”

“I want to keep it fair and I want to make it balanced, listen to everybody,” Ms. Redetzke said about being voted to a three-year term, “and make sure it’s across the board, that we keep taxes low but morals high.”

Town Clerk Lorraine Murawski said 1,436 of the town’s 6,548 registered voters, or 21.9 percent, came out in this year’s election.